Trainers still to receive payment for last year’s grand Yoga Day event | Hindustan Times

With the country gearing up for Yoga Day celebrations next month (June 21), city-based instructors who trained yoga aspirants for last year’s grand event held at Rama Bai Ambedkar Rally ground that was attended by PM Narendra Modi, are a worried lot. These 287 yoga trainers say they are still to receive their wages and have been running from pillar to post for the past 11 months.

Speaking to HT, yoga instructor Ram Kishore who instructed several aspirants before the event on June 21, 2017, said, “While the Prime Minister is taking so much interest in promoting yoga world over and the union government is spending a substantial amount on the same, this money is not reaching yoga teachers here in Lucknow.”

“The teachers sweated day after day for two months to train the numerous people who participated in the World Yoga Day event here. However, for a payment of Rs 13,000 / month, they have been made to wait so much,” he added.

Amarjeet Yadav, yoga teacher at Lucknow University who runs a yoga institute, said, “For almost a year I fought for the trainers’ payment. I was told that the payment had been released by the Centre to the state Ayush department. Now, it’s up to the Ayush department to make sure the trainers get the money.”

Yoga instructors said they were especially upset at the disdain shown by state officials. “Leave aside the money, we are still to receive even the certificates of appreciation that were promised,” said one of them.

When contacted, principal secretary Ayush department Mukesh Meshram said that he would comment on the issue on Tuesday “after going through facts”.

Meanwhile, Amarjeet Yadav said that he had been assured by officials concerned that the payment would be cleared soon. “The money will be transferred into the account of Lucknow University, which will issue cheques to the trainers,” he said.

However, some trainers said they could not understand the need for this roundabout manner of wage transfer. “Why should the Centre first transfer the money to the state Ayush department, which then transferred it to the account of Lucknow University, which in turn will issue cheques to students (trainers)? Our wages could have been transferred directly into our accounts,” said a student on condition of anonymity.